A Birthday to Remember
by Secret CSI
Summary: Pepper's birthday causes some emotions to surface. Disclaimer: Characters are not mine, but I can wish. PP/TS


It was two days before Pepper Potts' birthday and she was having yet another argument with Tony Stark about a dangerous solo mission he had come back from the night before.

"That's not the point, Tony. All I ask for is a simple phone call." She said. He sighed.

"I was a little preoccupied with trying to stop a crazy man and staying alive." He said.

"30 seconds just to know you're alive." She said, exasperated.

"Why so you know if you should start job hunting again?" He said, meaning it to be a joke. She was shocked and hurt that he thought she didn't care.

"Screw you, Stark." She said and slammed the front door. He sighed and stormed off to his workshop. The next day she woke up to a voice mail.

_"Hey. I'm sorry about last night. I have to go on another mission. This time it's with the whole gang. I know I'm a day early, but happy birthday. Please stay home and relax. I bought you a gift and it's in my room. I was hoping to give to you in person, but I can't. I know you care and I care too." He said. _

She saved the voicemail and sighed. She figured she would make the appropriate calls to explain Tony's absence on the way to his place. She arrived and was welcomed by Jarvis.

"Good Morning, Miss Potts." The AI said. She smiled.

"Good morning, Jarvis." She responded as she made her way to Tony's bedroom. "Mr. Stark said he left something for me." She said.

"Yes. It is Mr. Stark's bedroom." The voice said. Pepper couldn't help but smile. Tony rarely picked out gifts. She entered his bedroom and laughed. There was a teddy bear dressed up as Iron man sitting on a box. Then there was a small, flat box that Pepper eyed. It was jewelry. Every woman knew that that box held jewelry. She knew she should wait until tomorrow, but she just couldn't wait. She opened the bigger box first and smiled. Shoes. Four inch, ruby red, platform pumps. Shoes always made her smile. She put the shoes down and cautiously picked up the flat box. She opened it and almost dropped the whole thing. Inside was a miniature arc reactor on a silver chain. The soft, blue glow was barely noticeable in the daylight, but she couldn't stop staring at it. She turned it over and the one word inscription and her in tears.

"_Heart"_

She wiped her face and put the necklace on. She took off her own shoes and started her e-mails and messages barefoot. She stopped in the office around lunch and then made her way back to the mansion. She always stayed at his place until he came back in case he needed her.

The next day came and she still hadn't heard from Tony. She kept herself busy at the office and kept the news on 24/7. The battle was getting bad and she had already seen Hawkeye almost fall off a building. It was ten at night the night before her birthday and she was starting to panic. News feed had been cut so her sole source of information was Jarvis.

"How's he doing?" She asked. She was furiously typing out e-mails to keep her mind busy.

"His vitals are stable but the suit is losing power. The battle seems to be coming to an end." He said. She sighed. She looked at the news and saw that they had live footage of the battle again. She could see Tony running towards an unconscious Dr. Banner. Then there was an explosion. Pepper's eyes were glued to the TV as the footage was cut.

"Jarvis!" She yelled.

"I am not getting any readings from the suit, Ma'am. I'm not getting anything at all." He said. She just sat there. The reporter came back on.

"We regret to inform you that Iron Man and the civilian he was trying to save are dead." She said. Pepper's jaw was open and tears were streaming down her face. Her right hand gripped her new necklace. They kept replaying the explosion and she could Iron Man get thrown by the explosion before the footage ended.

"Still nothing, Miss Potts." Jarvis said. Pepper started to shake her head.

"No. He has to be alive. He's Tony, he doesn't die.

"I'm sorry. I believe he is, ma'am." Jarvis said. She ran to his room, somehow thinking he would be there and she would yell at him for the stupid joke. She looked around collapsed on his bed. It's couldn't be true. She sat there and sobbed. Her phone was going off and she grabbed it, hoping it was her boss.

"Tony?" She asked.

"It's Rhodey. Is Jarvis getting anything from the suit?" He asked. She tried to hold back a sob.

"Jarvis says that he not getting anything. He's says that he thinks Tony is dead." She said. Rhodey was quiet.

"I'm going to come over." He said.

"No. I'm going to shower and I have a lot of things to do." She said. She ran her free hand through her hair.

"Pepper, you need to sleep. Things are going to get crazy and you need time to regroup. I know what Tony meant to you." He said. She shook her head. No one knew what Tony Stark meant to her. "I know it's your birthday tomorrow and I'm so sorry. Please don't come in." He said and hung up. She broke down and gripped her Iron Man teddy bear. She went to his bathroom and took a shower. It lasted an hour because she sat there in the shower, hugging her knees sobbing. When she came out she dressed in an old MIT shirt of his and crawled into his bed.

"Is there anything you need me to do, Ms. Potts?" Jarvis asked.

"No. Let me know if any of the Avengers come." She said. "I loved him." She said to no one in particular. "My last words to him were 'screw you'. I was so mad at him. He's made more than one attempt to convince me he wanted a relationship; that he's grown up and I ignored it." She said. "I've lost him and he never knew I loved him." She said. She cried herself to sleep in Tony's clothes and in his bed.

At two in the morning Thor carried Iron man into the billionaire's workshop. He was badly beaten and the suit needed extensive repairs.

"Jarvis don't alert pepper. I'm fine. Just put me down on the couch." Tony said. Thor put the smaller man down. After he assured him he was fine the demi-god left. "Is she okay?" He asked about his personal assistant.

"She cried herself to sleep, Sir." The AI said. He sighed.

"Can you pull up the camera feed? I need to know what I'm in for." He said. He was expecting to see her yell and scream and pace back and forth. In a second Tony was watching the woman he loved sob in his bed. He then saw her come out of his shower and change into his shirt; he closed his eyes when she removed her towel. His heart clenched when he saw crawl into his bed and hold the Iron Man bear. Then he heard the audio.

_"I loved him." She said to no one in particular. "My last words to him were 'screw you'. I was so mad at him. He's made more than one attempt to convince me he wanted a relationship; that he's grown up and I ignored it." She said. "I've lost him and he never knew I loved him."_

She loved him. He made his way as fast as he could, in his fragile state to his bedroom. He saw her there with her bear and his shirt and crawled into bed with her. He tucked some stray, red hair behind her ear. She stirred and slowly opened her eyes. They went wide and she gripped his shirt. He leaned in and kissed her with fervor. She tightened her hold on his shirt.

"Please don't be a dream." She whispered. He shook his head and kissed her neck.

"Not a dream. I'm here." He said. He pulled her as close as possible. "No explosion is going to keep me from you." He whispered. That brought everything back into focus. She pushed him back.

"Tony. What are you doing here? I thought you died." She said. He reached for her hand.

"I didn't. I grabbed Bruce and got out just in time. I was trying to be so careful. I wanted to get back for your birthday." He said. She shook her head. Here she was in her boss's bed, in clothes and he was holding her. He saw the blue glow coming from her necklace and smiled.

"I have to go. I should call Rhodey." She said, trying to get out of his arms. He held on. "Please let me get out of here with as much as my dignity as I can. I'll hand in my resignation in the morning." She said. He was shocked.

"What? Why?" He asked.

"What do you mean why?" She asked. "My boss found me in his bed in his clothes. You could technically sue me for sexual harassment." She said. He laughed.

"Seriously? You could have done that a hundred times to me." He said.

"Tony please let me go." She said.

"No. This is a fantasy of mine. I've always wanted to come home after a mission to find you in my clothes and in my bed." He said. He pulled her close again and kissed her neck. All the thoughts of him wanting a real relationship were replaced with thoughts of him just wanting sex.

"I've told you that I'm not having sex with you." She said, trying to be angry at him.

"I don't want sex. I want you." He said, sincerely. He continued his assault on her neck.

"What makes you think I want you?" She asked, trying to ignore the feeling of his lips on her neck.

"I saw the house feed." He said. She paled. "I know what you said. I know how you feel." He said. He kissed her soundly. She pushed him away and scrambled out of the bed.

"Stop." She said when she saw him trying to get out of the bed. "I was overwhelmed and emotional." She said.

"So you're saying that you don't love me?" He asked. "Tell me right now that you don't love me and I'll let you walk out, but I still won't let you quit." He said. She hung her head. "You said that I died without knowing how you felt. Well I'm right here, Virginia." He said. She hung her head. He had somehow made it across the room. He lifted her head to look at him.

"I love you." She whispered. "I love you so much." She said. She broke down and he held onto her. He kissed her with everything he had.

"I love you too. I've loved you for a while." He said. "Please don't leave me." He said. She shook her head.

"I won't." She said. "I can't." He pulled her back towards the bed. "Best birthday present ever." She said with a smile.


End file.
